Hints From Heloise is a venerable newspaper column (remember those) that usually covers topics such as what to do when you scorch your husband’s shirt while ironing, and how to lessen household odors. (Let’s just say lemon juice and baking soda should always be in your cupboard.) But now it has hinted up comics:

EASY READER

Dear Heloise: I thought that my son would never learn to read. Then an older boy gave him some comic books, and just like a miracle, he started reading. I had the same problem with his younger brother. My husband bought a book about one of the superheroes. It was just like we flipped a switch — he started reading.

I had always read to my children and tried to encourage them, but it was comic books that did the trick. — Ellen B., Lady Lake, Fla.